Cambronne's Words

By John White, FINS
(submitted by Bob
Elmer)
Honorary Secretary of the Association of Friends of
the Waterloo Committee

The French have it that when the last square of the Old
Guard, surrounded at Waterloo, were invited to surrender
rather than be annihilated, their commander, General Count
Etienne Cambronne shouted back, "La Garde meurt, elle ne se
rend pas!" - the heroic, "The Guard dies, it does not
surrender!". Of course, the rest of the world thinks he
replied, "Merde!" - the much more earthy French expression,
"Sh-t!"

What did Cambronne really say?

An old gentleman in Plancenoit thought he knew the
answer. He named his house "le mot de Cambronne" - The word
of Cambronne - singular.

However, the following correspondence, provided by John
White, Honorary Secretary of the Association of Friends
shows that Cambronne actually said nothing - he had already
been captured!

Letter to The Times - 16th June 1932

Sir,

Waterloo Day is close at hand, and a broadcast will be
transmitted by the BBC on June 18th. In a foreword appearing
in the Radio Times it is stated that Cambronne, who
commanded a portion of Bonaparte's Old Guard, after
shouting, "La veille Garde muert, mais elle ne se rend pas,"
surrendered his sword to a drummer boy. It is I believe to
Victor Hugo that we owe the legend that Cambronne, when
called upon to surrender, made use of an expression which
would not be printable in any respectable journal. Thus are
facts distorted and thus are legends made. It might interest
some of your readers if I were permitted to give them a
personal reminiscence which is, I think, to the point.

In 1850, when I was about seven years of age, I was taken
by my father to visit General Hugh Halkett, who then
commanded the King's Army at Hanover. The old general seemed
to have taken a fancy to me, and often allowed me to
accompany him on his morning walks through the groves and
avenues of Kingly Herrenhausen. As I knew that this fine old
gentleman had served in the German Legion at Waterloo, that
great subject often cropped up, and he told me many things
which I have long forgotten. But I well remember his telling
me that he alone took Cambronne prisoner. He said that this
gallant French officer, who was reconnoitering on foot at
some distance from and ahead of his troops, was taken
completely by surprise when Halkett, who was mounted on a
spirited Irish horse, galloped close up to the French lines,
seized him by his aiguillette, and dragged him breathless
into the British lines. "If you are an officer," said the
unfortunate commander when he had recovered a little from
the exertions he had undergone, "if you are an officer, here
is my sword." Cambronne was taken to England as a prisoner
of war, and there died; but he certainly did not ride off
triumphant with one of the immortal slogans of history.

Faithfully yours,

Richard Edgecombe

Edgebarrow Manor, Crowthorne

Letter to The Times - 18th June 1932

Sir,

My grandfather, the Rev. William Leeke, at the age of 17
carried the regimental Colour of the 52nd Oxfordshire Light
Infantry at the battle of Waterloo, and afterwards wrote his
reminiscences. In these he says, referring to the capture of
Cambronne, "Colonel Hugh Halkett, with his Hanoverian
battalion, got so near to one of the squares of the Imperial
Guard that he made a dash at General Cambronne, who was at
some little distance from the square, and took him prisoner
with his own hands." This corroborates your correspondent's
interesting reminiscence, at the same time refuting the
statement of the BBC foreword.

My grandfather evidently doubted whether the words
attributed to Cambronne were ever spoken by him, as in a
long footnote on the subject he says, "Bertrand presented to
General Michel's widow a stone from the Emperor's tomb on
which he had inscribed, 'A la Baronne Michel, veuve du
Général Michel tué à Waterloo,
oú il répondit aux sommations de l'ennemi par
ces paroles sublimesé La Garde muert et ne se rend
pas'." (To Baronne Michel, widow of General Michel killed at
Waterloo, where he replied to the summons of the enemy for
their word... The Guard dies and does not surrender).

Yours faithfully,

W M Leeke

Kirk Langly Rectory, Derby

Letter to The Times - 18th June 1932

Sir,

I was greatly interested to see in today's issue of The
Times (16-6-32) the record of Cambronne's capture at
Waterloo by my great-great-grandfather, General (then
Colonel) Sir Hugh Halkett, and perhaps the following will
shed some light on the incident.

According to records, Etienne Cambronne was born at
Nantes in 1770, so at the time of Waterloo he was 45, and
there is in our possession a singularly unflattering French
print of the gentleman in question in uniform, with the bare
record of his capture at Waterloo by "le Colonel Hugh
Halkett."

Underneath however, stands a naked sword encircled by a
laurel wreath and the following pointed inscription:

"La Garde muert, elle ne se rend pas."

"Cambronne se rend, il ne muert pas."

(The Guard dies, it does not surrender. Cambronne
surrenders, he does not die).